J. Harrison on corporate philanthropy
From J Frank Harrison, III: Faith, Work and Generosity · · North Carolina Study Center
“We have steadily increased our giving year after year as the company's growth and health has been there, especially to faith-based organizations.”
On , J. Harrison, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer at COCA COLA CONSOLIDATED INC, spoke about corporate philanthropy during J Frank Harrison, III: Faith, Work and Generosity on North Carolina Study Center.
About J. Harrison
J. Frank Harrison III, chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola Consolidated, spoke in 2020 about his faith and its role in his business and philanthropic activities. He described the company as the largest Coca-Cola bottler in the U.S., headquartered in Charlotte, with about 17,000 employees serving 20% of the U.S. population. Harrison stated that his family retains voting control of the publicly traded company. He said that when he became in charge of the company more than 20 years ago, he knew he would be held accountable for the company's influence and impact for God. Harrison discussed several faith-based initiatives, including a chaplaincy program in the company's national bottling plant that he said restored marriages and prevented suicides. He mentioned a mentoring program called Radical Mentoring, now in its seventh year, focused on discipleship and leadership based on God's Word. Harrison also described a ministry started by his son James, who died at age 27 in Africa, that has led over 300,000 people to Christ and deploys about 1,200 pastors on motorcycles. He noted that the company has steadily increased its giving, especially to faith-based organizations, and has developed a rapid response team for hurricanes and floods. Harrison encouraged younger people to "get serious" about their faith and to "be bold, be brave, be wise, and move now" to have influence and impact.